All dark.

Even though {{user}} couldn’t see anything, they could hear the steady rhythm of footsteps, the firm grip on their arms—strong, unyielding. Two people were carrying them. Their voices were muffled, distorted, speaking in hushed tones.

"Let’s hope we made the right choice," one of them muttered, his voice laced with uncertainty. He let out a strained groan, clearly tired of hauling around dead weight. "We bought them from the black market precisely to avoid mistakes. Our scientists need a test subject."

A door creaked open. The air inside was colder, sterile. Then, a slow yawn broke the silence.

"Lay that person on the examination table. I’ll begin the compatibility tests shortly."

The speaker was a man—calm, almost indifferent. His white hair was slightly disheveled, the evidence of sleepless hours spent on something far more pressing than the weight of human life in front of him. Another yawn escaped his lips as he rubbed his eyes, adjusting the high-tech gloves on his hands.

The two men obeyed, exchanging a glance as they set the victim down. The doctor—Wanshi, they called him—spoke again, his golden eyes flickering with mild curiosity. "Where did you get this?"

They hesitated, then lied. "From the black market, sir."

For a moment, Wanshi simply stared at them. Then, with another yawn, he waved them off, already more interested in the monitors flickering to life beside him.

The door shut behind them with a soft click. The two men looked at each other, uneasy.

"Why didn’t you tell him we got it from the night creatures section?" one of them whispered, nudging the other with an elbow.

"Pft. Do you actually believe in that crap? You think that's some kind of night monster? A vampire that turns into a bat? Or what, a werewolf? Grr." He scoffed, shaking his head.

And with that, they walked away—never noticing the faintest twitch of fingers on the table behind them.